Christopher Nolan reveals title of third Batman film and that ‘it won’t be the Riddler’

Oct. 27, 2010 | 6:25 a.m.

Christopher Nolan. (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Christopher Nolan’s third Batman film will be called “The Dark Knight Rises” and though the Gotham City auteur isn’t ready to reveal the villain of his 2012 film, he did eliminate one of the big contenders: “It won’t be the Riddler,” Nolan said in an exclusive interview with Hero Complex.

Riddler rumors were off target. (DC Comics)

Nolan was most eager to talk about the fact that Warner Bros. had agreed with his argument that the film should resist the current 3-D craze and instead use high-definition approaches and IMAX cameras to strike out on a different cinematic path than the stereoscopic technology that, for better or worse, has become the dominant conversation in the blockbuster sector.

As for the title, it shows the writer-director’s intention to keep his Bruce Wayne trilogy tightly stitched together. “We’ll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we’ll be introducing some new ones,” Nolan said cryptically. I had an odd thought: What if Nolan somehow brings back Harvey Dent? The only reason I even mention it is because, back during post-production on the second film, Nolan told me that the title “The Dark Knight” was just as much about Dent and his fall from the status of shining-knight civic crusader. Dent was plainly dead at the end of the last film, though, and Nolan has been intent on keeping his Gotham City film firmly rooted in a gritty gangland realism– this isn’t a franchise that has veered off into the supernatural or even much super-science.

Nolan plays things close to the vest — he’s one of the few filmmakers of his generation who actually does wear a vest — and he chuckled when I tried to get a few more details out of him. “Oh, you know me, I don’t talk.” He began our conversation by comparing it with a visit to the dentist’s office. Well, if so, he’s a patient who never opens wide. I asked if he could imagine a time when Warner Bros. would let a filmmaker shoot a Batman script where the villain isn’t one of the signature creations from the comic books. “Ah, Geoff Boucher, master of the leading question,” he said with a chuckle.

That’s when he did agree, however, to eliminate a villain candidate, namely Edward Nigma, the green-suited Riddler, who many people (myself included) assumed was the next natural choice. That character could be taken in a lot of directions — think of Kevin Spacey’s character in “Seven” as a compass point for one of those dark paths — but Nolan and his team are going a different way. As with “Dark Knight,” the new film has a script written by Nolan and his brother, Jonah, and it’s based on a story by the director and David Goyer. Earlier, I got Nolan to take Mr. Freeze off the list and, yes, this is like pulling teeth but don’t think for a minute that I mind. Nolan makes sublime films, and any secrets he wants to keep in place are done so to protect the final product. As for me, I’m hoping now for Hugo Strange who, come to think of it, looks a bit like a dentist…

538 Responses to Christopher Nolan reveals title of third Batman film and that ‘it won’t be the Riddler’

I would like to see something based in part on the Batman Legends of the Dark Knight, those Blink (Lee Hyland) Stories, issues number 156, 157, 158 from 2002 and 164, 165, 166, 167 from 2003. Lee, a small time thief, and not only he is a freak of nature with no eyes at all, but he also sees through the eyes of those he comes in physical contact with, and while he is physically blind he uses the vision of his dog to guide himself until he accidentally bumps into a serial killer and he is forced to witness his murders and tries to prevent them. And when touching Batman he can also see through his eyes and maybe have a chance to learn of the secret identity, unless someone else bumps into him making him lose contact. My Bat-Page – heroescomics.9f.com/batman.htm

I Would like to see Batman use venom then be put in Arkham asylum. Then have a story about
Arkham asylum and venmon with Bane. Then they can make the movie DarkFall.
I also like if they can make a movie useing Scar Face as the villains and get Terry Fator to do the
Ventriloquist.YES that would be so cool.

I hope Mr Nolan reads these comments or has people who do. The Batman movie that would be the movie of the current times, would be The Batman or The Dark Night Vs Dracula! He would catch The Batman fans as well as the Vampire fans while vampires movies or popular.

I'm warming up to the title. It was not what I was expecting but it's interesting. I kind of like that we're getting a villain other than The Riddler- I was hoping for someone fresh and new. I really hope it's Hugo Strange. That would be awesome! He's one of my favorite- and probably one of the more underrated- of the Batman villains.

no… remember that part about "rooted in a gritty gangland realism…" No, It won't be Clayface… I'm thinking maybe Black mask, or Hush. I'm seeing a pattern with the villains though, (although this is a bit of a pattern in all batman villians, but more specifically the Nolan Villians): they all either represent a facet of Batman's character (Scarecrow: fear and psychological intimidation; Ra's al Ghul: martial equivalent and very similar characteristics, except with conflicting goals), or contrast him (Joker: flashy, chaotic, represents glee in a very black-comedic sense; Two-face: Gotham's "white knight"). I can guess from this that Hush would be a good villain, or even if they were to go for something with more name recognition, they could go with the Penguin, but I think Hush would work better

It won't ….. I'm more hunching on Thomas Elliot aka Hush who is a surgeon. A childhood friend (rival) of Bruce Wayne who is all bandaged up and has a major grind on Batman AND enjoys picking on Gotham's underworld. He went toe to toe with the Joker in the comics …. if the next film is going to keep the realism elements, he seems to be the best choice with plenty of potential for development.

Oh and one of the major comic storylines involve Hush removing Catwoman's heart in revenge and Batman racing against time to save her.

Sounds like you were ready to accept WHATEVER the choices were. You liked everything in the article. Would have been funny if Daffy Duck was in the film, that way I could laugh at you saying "Oh yeah, Daffy Duck. I can warm up to that. Matter of fact, he's my favorite and I was hoping for this." lmao

I still think the penguin would be the better villian in this movie. The penguin was never ruled out and with these movies revolving around organized crime, why not have the penguin as a slightly deformed mafia kingpin. In the dark knight comics, the penguin is a crime boss with political power. I think it would be dumb to have him totally deformed, but just a little bit.

Dude, they casted Anne Hathaway (however you spell it) as Catwoman. Don't tell me Catwoman isn't older charatcer. Of course I am a fan of orginality. I don't care for the muscular steroid pumped Bane (the other villain for Dark Knight Rises) Riddler could carry as the main villain very well. Nolan could easily use him like Jigsaw only with less violent trap and of course Riddler wouldn't be a cancer patient. Besides Batman is on the run from the law right now. It would be great for a Detective to come named Edward Nigma and while trying to solve the identity of Batman, is (slowly) driven to the idea he has been defeated in the first part of the movie. Then become someone that Batman must catch in order to help figure out who batman is. While Riddler plays the detective role and has not dawned the Riddler character yet, let Catwoman be the anatagonist.

I'm warming up to the title, I'm wondering if it has to do with the fact that Bruce was in a pretty dark place at the end of the Dark Knight and is being hunted by the police and will have to work alone and seemingly against new villains. I too wonder if Hugo Strange will be used. I'm really hoping that Selena or Talia appear.

I had been hoping for KNIGHTFALL as the film title -as it is connected to the last film but all-new at the same time. I was also hoping for some story bits from that arc (Bane, Azrael, etc…)…

Despite that, based on previous movie's success I can see why they chose the new title…
having the words 'DARK KNIGHT' in the title will sell this better to the masses than something
with BATMAN in the title.

hardy as dead shot…..love his acting strengths here playing towards the suave playboy demeanor of Floyd Lawton perhaps……Hush could be in coordination with his acting style as well…..think about it…..batman is an outcast….the city is jaded towards him and all of the sudden…random high profile hits on cops public officials continue….naturally since Lawton is a professional the public belives the vigilante batman as the killer…until batman discovers lawtons's calling card bullets left from targeting platforms….silently gordon and a few trusted police enlist batman's help to bring down lawton and restore the dark knights good name

given the venue given to the movie series i dont think that killer croc or mr freeze will make it into the dark night series simply because those are caracters that are to sify for this realist type move

questionable title. Would've rather had Shadow of the Bat or Gotham City.
So the dark knight didn't actually rise in the dark knight? Obviously title nods to Frank Miller and makes me wonder if batman may "die" in this, but why not just use the classic titles?

I still think that after this film NO ONE should touch Batman for a good ten years. Then let Nolan or another great director come in and do a DKReturns storyline with Bruce an older, bitter man waging one last battle.

No, Batman in TDK didn't rise. Did you see the film? He ends up being a criminal and haunted by the police. Here's where the rising will happend. And "Gotham City"?? I wonder if they'd name a Flash film "Central City". "Shadow Of The Bat" is nice, but it has been used several times, TDKRises, not.

People like you whined first about the reboot, then when Christian Bale was cast as Batman, the new Batmobile was revealed, the revelation that the first film would have no well known villain, then when Heath Ledgar was cast as the Joker, and on and on and on…

Give it a rest already. A more reasonable expectation would probably be this film will not top the second in the psychotic-villain-generates-mayhem category, but I have no doubt it will bring thematic closure, have a more coherent plot, and be a blockbuster all the same.

The riddler is retarded though? This new Dark Knight series is supposed to be gritty and realistic, and there's no way to make someone who wears a green suit and bowler spotted with question marks NOT look like a goof.

Actually if you think that would be rediculous then you have no idea how rediculous the joker seems and yet how well they pulled it off. He actually would have made the most sense to me but now that mr freeze and riddler are crossed off I’m betting on penguin. Penguin could be made semi believable (though it’s more of a strech than riddler) and he’s more recognizable than the more obscure but possible more fitting, gritty characters.

Not having the Riddler is a major disappointment. He is the best popular character that fits within Nolans non-monster, non-magical villian style of Batman films. So the villian will be someone obscure. The best canidate I can think of is Dead Shot. The title is a little uninspired too. But as I can see from the thumbing down of any post saying anything less than YAY!, you better roll with it or be chased down by an angry mob who have deem the film awesome before it's first day of shooting.

…….Really?….BlackMask would be perfect! Does every Batman Movie have to have the same villans?… We should rep a serious character from the comic side of DC…maybe even put more edge,and more reality into the story line. Riddler isn’t really a big thrill seeker!. We need something like supernatural like “mister wisper”,or Etrigan!… No more BubbleGum movies…

maybe for batman 4. Johnny Depp should not be the Riddler. It’s to much of an obvious choice even though he is a amazing actor and would do a great job. They need to take a risk and cast someone who is not as well known. Playing it safe doesn’t make a great movie. Sheldon Cooper from big bang theory (Jim Parsons) needs to be the next Riddler.

meh… i would say it would be a dangerous choice even making the riddler a villan… Nolan kinda rolled some of his traits into the joker enough..besides how are you going to top Jim Carey's Oscar Notch performance? Riddler was always my least fav. batman villan, very gimmicky character. is he going to be like the original comic riddler in the same way DN joker was to the original Joker? instead of being (silly crazy), he has a "demented" more ""DARK"" personality? because that is an evolutionary risk i dont see anyone touching… dont get me wrong if neil patric haris or Jim Parsons played Riddler, while teaming up with all o' batmans enemies in a submarine, with the joker 'Re'casted as Russell Crow, i would still have faith Nolan would pull it off…Somehow..
"no billy, he's not like the joker! He riddles instead of jokes… And puts the batman in tough "puzzling" situations like choosing between… " …

To me the only time riddler was a threat i mean real threat to batman Was when he and HUSH Teamed up in the Hush story line But Riddler Hardly did anything but make batman break all his teeth in the end of the BOOK so Hush to me Would be an outstanding choice 2nd to the return of the joker

I think its a good idea to stay away from all of the characters of the first set of films, although calling the last two films is an insult to films everywhere. It was a good move to bring back the Joker in the last movie but could have gone horribly wrong if it was almost anybody else other than Heath Ledger playing the roll. Jim Carey was amusing as the Riddler, but the movie overall was terrible. Im glad the series has been revived and taken more seriously than the first series of movies. I like that most of these superhero movies are being made by people that grew up enjoying these stories and treat them seriously instead of just another way to make a action figure. So glad that the Bat Mobile no longer has neon lights on it……

After Batman Begins I had this theory that #2 would be called "Batman Continues", and I continued on to think of other possible titles in the series — Batman Falls and Batman Rises both occurred to me somewhere along the line. Oh well.

Didn’t hurt the 2nd movie did it? Again, if you paid attention to Nolan in interviews, what he is doing is trying to take the Bat-universe seriously. Franchise Name: The (Verb)/(Adverb) (Noun) does not follow that rule.

telling you, Tom Hardy as Black Mask, Harley Quinn takes up Joker's mantle, Selina Kyle replaces Rachel. Film focuses on the disappearance of Bruce Wayne and how Batman consumes that identity.
The masks motif that Nolan set up with Joker's gang (and batman obviously) goes bigtime with False Face Society if it's black mask, and is a metaphor for the city as a whole.

Only other possibility I see (but its a stretch) is Hardy as Hush. Makes audience wonder if Hush is a revived Harvey Dent or a disguised, pissed off bruce wayne. But I think the reveal that it's neither would be a let down, so I'm guessing its Black Mask.

But Harley Quinn is created by spending to much time with joker and its just not going to be the same no more you know? Unless they some how use Keiths voice overs and maybe make him a shodowy figure.. but thats one of the most gut wrenching events in all of bat man..i mean no disrespect to Keith at all by saying that rest in peace.

If "Batman Begins" was the origin, and "The Dark Knight" was the evolution (he's now Gotham's Dark Knight) but this one comes with a price… he falls. "The Dark Knight Rises"- evolved but fallen, our hero must pick himself back up and "rise".

I'm with you Dan, it works conceptually. But the loss of a standalone title (this plays too much as Dark Knight 2 – or worse speaks to studio interest in keeping Dark Knight in the title) is disappointing.

I agree!!! I think the title is an intricate part to completing the evolution of this series as a story arc. The people that complain about the title don't really have much stock in where the direction of the story is going because at the end of the Dark Knight he fell from grace because of Joker and now he has to Rise against his persecutors.

But Gordon's son was barely in the movie. Why focus on the result of a coin toss for a character that had only one line up until that shot? Was the name of Gordon's son even mentioned in the film?

Dent's death wasn't exactly the most pronounced character death ever. We never saw the impact. There was no blood. The fall was not unsurvivable. If Nolan DIDN'T want us talking about Dent, he could have made his demise a who lot clearer and could have said for certain like he has with the Riddler. Instead people have been reaching for the script to prove thier case.

there's no blood in the entire movie, and the script says that his neck is broken, everybody wants to latch onto the idea of dent surviving because they can't think of who the new villain will be, dent's dead, face it

I never understood why people clung to this idea that Two Face died. The article said he was "plainly" dead yet I NEVER got that impression from watching it. I felt he was badly injured and Batman/Gordon's plan was to hide Two Face away in Arkham or whatever and let the public believe Dent was dead and Batman was responsible in order to hide his becoming Two Face. I've always expected him to return and all the stuff Nolan and everybody says about him being dead is nothing but smokescreen. COULD he be dead? Sure. But I saw nothing on screen that proved it and the way the dialogue was written seemed purposefully vague.

I agree. It almost seems as if they were hinting that even prior, considering that the "You should really learn how to scare people; A fall like this wouldn't kill me" scene seemed much higher than the fall Harvey took. Almost as if it were setting up for the fact that the fall wouldn't kill Dent either. Especially with the coin toss (Good film makers like Nolan don't put things like that in for no reason, especially considering that this is the guy responsible for inception, which hangs on details like this.

I have no problem with the title, and I'm glad he's not using the Riddler. Let's also scratch off the Penguin and any super-powered villains. PLEASE, no Harley Quinn. Let's just trust that an intelligent and talented filmmaker like Nolan can overcome the "third movie curse" and deliver another entertaining Batman movie that has the strengths of the first two: grounded in realism, with terrific performances.

I disagree with the no super-powered villains. You can still involve villains like Killer Croc without giving him unrealistic powers, e.g. he just has to be stronger than Batman, not exactly super-strong.

I could care less if it's thematically relevant when the movie comes out. It's lazy, and uninspired, and the Batman mythology deserves better.

Batman already "rose" in BATMAN BEGINS. We know he's going to "rise" to the challenge, and we know he's going to redeem himself, and "rise from the dead" in a sense, in the third film. If Nolan's goal is to have Batman throw his mission into overdrive, and have Bruce Wayne lose himself to being Batman more than we've seen, great…use a title that implies that.

SHADOW OF THE BAT is potentially the most relevant and encompassing title the third Batman film could have had. "RISES" is the most generic title thrown around these days, HANNIBAL RISING, the rumored RISE OF COBRA, etc.

Incredibly disappointing.

Oh. And Nolan said "It won't be The Riddler". He never said "No Edward Nigma".

"Plainly dead" is definitely wrong. Batman took the same tumble with a little extra padding. They were going to play Harvey off as dead because Harvey may have been dead and they didn't want the public to see what was left of him and lose hope. Two-face is probably sitting in a prison and bound to escape.

As for me, I wanna see Black Mask be created out of financial hardship, mob ties, and Wayne Enterprises buyouts, with the focus being on Black Mask attacking Wayne, not Batman, and the public needing Batman to help them….
Thus, the Dark Knight Rises….. then he falls, and hurts himself. Then Dr Thomas Eliot is brought in to save him, and tells a sedated/groggy/injured Bruce to "Hush" as the movie ends…

Nolan is trying to stay away from supernatural, or unexplainable events. As much as everyone would like to see the two-face…he probably DID die. No one can walk around with a face busted up like that, if anything his body probably got infected from all the burns and opened wounds. COMMON SENSE PLEASE. Nolan is an intelligent director, he wont use the joker, he wont use anyone he already hs used.

Lastly, I always thought "Return of the Dark Knight" sounded better…since Zack Snyder says he might use the "The Dark Knight Returns" for his trilogy when they decide to reboot/remake it in a decade after the Superman Man of steel trilogy.

That could mean Bane. It would be nice to see him redeemed after the horrible depiction in Batman and Robin. Venom is a bit "supersciency" but it can be written off as potent steroids with some added kick (PCP, etc) and come off as more realistic. Bane is a combination of strategist and junky, with his mind set on destroying the Bat to prove himself. Also, Batman's setting himsel up to be a bad guy in the press and to most of the cops, etc puts him into a position where he is more likely to allow Bane's plan (a massive break out at the Asylum) slowly wear him down until the right moment. The only problem would be the lack of recurring characters to break out. We had a bit of a hint at Zzazz in the first movie, and they've been able to bring back Scarecrow, but most other inmates would probably need to be introduced in the movie. It could help to establish that time has passed and that the "masks replacing the mob" story has progressed even further to have a few costumed villains recaptured even if they had not yet been introduced beforehand.

i was dissapointed when i heard the dark knight rises would not have the riddler in it but why bring the joker back that would be the same as the second movie chris nolan should have a big name villian such as the penguin or poision ivy or even mr freeze but why bane he is not important enought

Not really? There was that movie that will not be mention and then The older batman movie. Catwoman is really big in the comics and I love how they revamped her character it's much more complex now and I would love it if they put in the new Selina Kyle.

agree that black mask is an ideal villain and is who i think will be nolan's choice. He's a vicious crime boss who takes over the power vacuum and gives gotham the better class of criminal joker promised. The False Face Society is a perfect metaphor for what Nolan has been creating. I see a need for either Selina Kyle and/or Harley Quinn to fill out the world and replace Rachel/Joker's roles. Harley Quinn as more of a devotee of Joker's mantle, since no one is going to replace Ledger or the Joker. And Kyle as a parallel to Wayne's character arc. Wayne has fallen too far to be with someone like Rachel and Talia would be a bit of rehashing from Begins. Catwoman is the love interest Batman needs.

I disagree with that ending though. There is not going to be a Batman 4 from Nolan, so there will (hopefully) be a definitive end to this story. Batman should either literally or figuratively "die" as Wayne finally reaches Batman's limits. I think he needs to choose to stop what he's doing. If you look at The Dark Knight, Batman claims to have a code and rules, but he constantly breaks them. He then constantly makes excuses for himself ("Batman has no limits," etc) as though he is in denial. He does this through the end of the film. The joker wins, Batman compromises his rules, he and Gordon enact a cover-up, etc. In the end I believe he's gonna need to end his own obsessive war, so there won't/shoudn't be any sort of cliffhanger ending.

I agree too. but doesn't Batman say that he only has one rule? and that is not to kill. He says that to The Joker in the interrogation scene, but he does break that rule at the very end but that was the only rule he had/broke.

Yea that's true, but what I meant was that Bruce Wayne is in denial throughout the film with regard to the decisions he makes. He admits that Batman has no limits, simultaneously claims to to have one rule he won't cross. Then when he crosses that line and kills Two Face, he makes an excuse for it, as though that one doesn't count. He continuously does whatever he wants to whenever he wants to, all in the name of his war on cime. Yes, he has good reason for it, but at what point is he crossing a line? He blows the doors off international law by sneaking into China and extraditing a Chinese national, negates public privacy by secretly tapping phones and covers up the death of the DA from the citizens of Gotham. Everything he does, it's always, "After this, I'm done." After he eliminates the mob, he's done. After he finds a replacement, he's done. After he wiretaps everyone to stop joker, he's done. And yes, he lets Lucius destroy the machine. But then he goes and kills Two-Face, the one rule he supposedly won't break. And once again, he can justify it. He had to save the kid. And that's what's great about the argument Nolan poses. In a war like that, with no end and only escalating crises, where do you draw the line? After Batman kills Two-Face, he looks up to where they fell from (metaphor) and says "But the Joker can't win," even though the Joker absolutely did win and Batman subconsciously knows he has. Batman is in denial throughout The Dark Knight, he is unwilling to accept that he has fallen or that he has lost or that he could be going too far. He doesn't know his limits, and I suspect that in this third film he will finally reach them.

I absolutely agree. Black mask is a mirror image of bruce wayne like the joker was a mirror of batmans in the TDK. Itd be refreshing to see someone attack Bruce this time and have the cops be kind of the villians for Batman in that they are constantly keeping him from serving justice. Not to mention its hard to get much darker than the Joker but Black Mask is very dark which goes with the themes and hes one of the more rightening rogues just by appearance alone. And why not have the penguin. Just call him by his real name. Fans will get it. He can be the replacement of Maroni and Falcone and Black Mask can be his right hand man. If they wan to keep that gritty crime drama aspect going, this is the best way.

I have to agree with a couple of the other posters in that I in no way think that it is clear that Harvey Dent/Two Face is dead. It would make sense for them to lie to the public and say Dent is dead to cover up him being Two Face, they could have him locked up in Arkham. I actually hope this is the case, because we didn't get to see a whole lot of Two Face in the last movie.

Why is everyone disappointed about the lack of the Riddler? He's such a gimmicky villain, who has always had over-the-top, almost slapstick plots. Nolan is doing well by sticking close to the Year One / Long Halloween interpretations. I think Catwoman is a much more natural choice, or even someone like Firefly, but I can't imagine him as a lead villain.

Well Riddler is interpreted in a lot of ways. I think it would be interesting to see him hired by the GCPD as a way to find out who batman really is. Gordon hiring him because he seems incompetent and he doesn't actually want batman's identity to be discovered. He wouldn't be the only villain, of course they would need something else but as a partial plot it could work

It is going to be Black Mask, that much I can confirm, and there will be a mystery about just who the Black Mask actually is, but it is someone that we have seen in the films before, though they want to try and keep that surprise for as long as possible. So much so that the current plan is that the actor in question won't be credited on any promo material, will be filmed as secretly as possible and on closed sets, and will be added to the end credits last minute. At least that is the plan right now. Of course if it leaks then those plans likely go up in smoke.

I don't know who the returning actor is, however. That information is on a very short leash indeed, and no one who knows is talking. And if I did know I don't think I'd spoil it anyway. But just spitballing here, could it be William Fichtner's mob banker that Joker left alive? Eric Roberts mobster, Sal Maroni? Anthony Michael Hall's reporter, Mike Engel? Could the Nolan boys even be pulling a fast one on us by using it as a way of hiding the return of Liam Neeson as Ras Al Ghul or Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent? I honestly don't know, but I would imagine that it has to be one of those five, unless I'm missing something…

Fine with this (if it's true) and would be cool with Tom Hardy as the opposite to Commissioner Gordon, the detective tasked with bringing Batman down.

I don't think it will be Sal Maroni, as Black Mask needs to supersede his level of criminal and crime boss. William Fichtner could be great, as I was surprised that such a versatile actor was used only for a teaser (albeit one of the greatest openings/heist sequences ever). And he went after Joker with a definite ferocity. Also, we never see what the gas that comes out of joker's grenade does to him. While I assumed it was only a joke and a smoke grenade, perhaps the Nolan's suggest it did something to him or that coming face to face with the joker awakened something in him? Not sure I'd love to see the flashbacks required to establish who he is and how he came to be, but I'd rather Black Mask be him than recycling Scarecrow, Ras, Dent or Maroni.

Hey, it's perfectly understandable to be cynical, smart even, after all I'm just some anonymous person on the internet as far as you know, so that's cool. Fact is I don't have any need or desire to convince anybody of what I have to say here, not that doing so would be possible anyway without putting my job in jeopardy, instead I'm just sharing what I know, both as a fan and as someone in a position to pick up certain pieces of information here and there. Whether folks choose to see what I have to say as being honest/plausible or not is up to them.

Besides which, time is the ultimate judge on these matters, so when that information does come to light from official sources eventually, well then you'll have your confirmation I guess.

right. And when it doesn't happen you can just say you warned us by saying if the plans are leaked, it goes up in smoke. Newsflash, Joe Hollywood, you just leaked it if your one of the important people you prefer to hype yourself up as, which would have to either be Jonathan or Christopher Nolan at this point. Wow, I can't wait to tell my friends I shot the $hit with one of the Nolan brothers…

I do not doubt the information you heard, however most likely the information was leaked to you on purpose, in hopes that such information would leak. As you said, it could be one giant ruse, which I am betting on. A red herring if you will.

Though I agree about Riddler still appearing it would be wrong to have him portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson the riddler is a lanky white man with red hair, that's how he was created thats how he should be. It would be wrong for a black man to play him, not to be racist or anything but I've seen it done before where a black man has played a white character and the audience is never accepting of it

The Nolan Batman Films have always had double villains, in the past films the 2 villains end up working together to try and take Batty down but it seems in these past 2 they remain seperate with the same agenda. There isn't a chance to have The Joker back so I assume it will be written into the film he either escaped and dissapeared or died in prison. I think 1 of the villains being Harley Quinn would be fantastic, she's come back psyco as hell looking for her hubby and wanting revenge for his disapearance/ death. Bane would also be good, hired by penguin or someone to take out batty, Bane was the only guy to ever defeat Batman you know!

Joker created Harvey Dent as a back up in case he failed in fact his exact words were "Did you think I'd risk Gotham soley in a fist fight with you? No" then he goes on to explain how harvey was his ace in the whole

I think it would be great if Nolan chose to call it, "The Batman" or just "Batman". I mean now he's evolved fully into Batman so let the title be minimalistic and to the point. I think that would be powerful in itself.

i'll have too watch again too be certain about this… i am thinking though from the last film that we don't know for a fact harvey dent is dead yes he falls and yes we see his body laying there, but that doesn't mean he is dead… there is a memorial and stuff for him at the end, but maybe it's just part of the cover/up… he could have been knocked out and on his way in an ambulance came back and killed too get out and go on his way maybe… because i everything at the end was just leading too cover/ups too protect harvey dent's status and not get his court rulings over/turned… i think it will be harvey since they can't bring the joker back… they can make it work totally…

I have it on good authority that we should get ready for John Malkovich as Arnold Wesker, aka The Ventriloquist. If you thought Ledger’s Joker was psychotic, wait till you see how over-the-top psycho John Malkovich’s Ventriloquist is. It’s all more to do with Nolan’s obsessions with duality and fractured psyches.

My friend and I started talking about this and we think it's going to be The Hangman and Harvey/Two-Face. We don't think he's dead (at all) and the fact that the Falcone family was in the first movie can help bring The Hangman into play. It'd be amazing.

i really thought that they would go with THE CAPED CRUSADER or THE BATMAN. The Dark Knight Rises, just sounds like, eh im to lazy to think of something clever.

As for the villain, im a bit disappointed that its not the riddler. I thought he was just a demented as the joker. you cant do harley quinn without the joker. its like peanut butter and jelly without the bread. its messy. im use to the old villains, if its a more modern villain, i think alot of us old fans will get thrown for a loop. but i trust nolan, i havent been let down.. yet.

There is no way that the villain will be Bane. Bane is just a hulking beast that came out of bad 90s comics. Nolan's films have shown a determination to stay away from such garbage. If you're into those sort of villains, you should check out the Marvel films (and I'm a fan of Marvel comics.)

Hush doesn't make sense for Tom Hardy either as a bandaged vigilante-ish character will immediately make audiences think that it is either Two-Face framing Batman or Batman having lost his mind, and then will be a letdown when it is in fact a 3rd party.

Black Mask is a perfect choice for a villain, grounding him in the gritty underworld that Nolan has created as he takes over and becomes self-proclaimed "King of Gotham City" and leader of the False Face Society (which has thematic overtones). He is exactly the kind of character that fits with the universe Nolan has created.

Also, I believe the title purposefully (again) nods to Miller's TDKR as it will show the end of Batman. This is supposed to be Nolan's final film that will complete the trilogy, which has centered around an obsessive war that has no end and no limits. Finally Batman will realize his own culpability in the escalation of violence and will finally reach his breaking point. I believe he will sacrifice Batman, either literally or metaphorically in order to bring normalcy back to the world. I don't use the word "peace" because I think the character's arc suggests an eventual realization that this war can never end and that the world will never be perfect. So Batman defeats Black Mask, makes one final symbolic act and "dies."

Catwoman makes sense for a love interest as Wayne has fallen too far to be with someone like Rachel and Talia al Ghul would do more in terms of redundancy than bringing things full circle (but it could work).

As Joker was the yin to Batman's yang and the two needed each other and, as long as Batman existed, should have been doing their go-round forever, I think Harley Quinn makes sense. She can't replace Joker (and no one will replace Ledger) but she could be a sort of devotee, an example to Wayne that the creation and existence of Batman (a force without limits) will continue to create parellel, yet opposite entities (which we started seeing with copycats and then Joker).

Wayne Manor will be rebuilt, but ironically without a Bruce Wayne to occupy it, as Batman has gone underground (figuratively and literally) and we finally see that he is living in the cave. The film ends with the end of Batman and Bruce putting his parents' deaths to rest, trying to have a life as they would have wanted, while reconciling himself with the flawed nature of the world.

Should note that I meant it starts with him living in the cave, ends with him moving back into Wayne Manor.

Also, I think this should be the end of Batman films for some time. IMO, Nolan has given us the definitive take on the character and it would be nice to let the trilogy rest for years. I dont think anyone else should touch it, but being the moneymaker that it is, I can't see the studio having that kind of self-control. If it were up to me, I'd say end it with this film, then wait like 10 years and let Nolan or another talented director come in and do Dark Knight Strikes Again type of storyline, with an old, bitter Bruce Wayne being pulled back (a-la Unforgiven) for one more battle.

Not sure if it means anything, but if you search Tom Hardy in IMDB, it says he's rumored to be Harvey Bullock. I'm guessing the plot of the 3rd movie will involve the police, led by Bullock chasing Batman. While someone else, either Black Face, Hush, or Hugo Strange eventually presents a greater threat and Batman 'Rises' and saves the day.

While I agree Harvey Dent was arguably just in a coma and hope he will return in part 3, Nolan said he considers Dent to be dead. But Boucher brought up a good point that "The Dark Knight" referred to Dent not just Batman, so for that title to continue with this film… I guess to go a step further in analysis, remember as Bruce described in part 1, (paraphrased) Batman, as an idea, can never die, never be killed. Dent became an "idea" as The White Knight and also Two-Face, so in this way he can't die.

Sad that Riddler won't be in this though. I thought Nolan could do Riddler really well. Since this is probably part psychological thriller, most likely will contain Hugo Strange and Arkham Asylum.

honestly i belive 2 face is the new villian hes sitting in prision after the commissioner threw a fake death out to the public dent excapes and goes on a killin spree still upset about not setteling the score with batman. wayne comes back and make peace with a villian he feels he created by defeating him and bringing him to a rightful justice hence the name rise of the dark knight meaning a dub untandra for bat man and two face once the knight of gotham brakes out of jail meaning hes risin up and took over gotham underworld ( keep in mind the 2nd movie the dark knight was went for both dent and batman as well

Hugo Strange would be good but I think he might be too similar to the Scarecrow. Bane done right would be interesting and I think the Black Mask could be good depending on the actor. I'd like to see the Ventriloquist but that might be too absurd to pull off.

I'd really love to see Dr. Hurt and Zur-En-Arrh but I suspect that the world (and Nolan) aren't ready for that yet.

Not using the riddler did surprise me and I’m not fond of the title either. The title is not the issue (that can be easily warmed up to); the real issue is the villain. I appreciate Nolan’s style for this batman series as opposed to Tim Burton’s which was awful – it actually got worse with each sequel. My recommendations: make more than one more batman (i believe this is Nolan’s final shot). Secondly do not pack too many villains into each movie (2 for the most). I think audiences are dying to see a proper take on catwoman. Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are strong serious characters too.

Scarface (ventriloquist) can be a schitzophrenic psycho villain but not a priority villain. Too bad the Two-Face villain had a quick exit, he could have been great. Bain is also a character that can be explored. Please! do not introduce Robin or Batgirl. Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Clay Face have all been ruled out automatically by Nolan’s approach and that’s fine with me. I’m not good as a casting director, so I won’t suggest who should play any of these characters.

really? cuz theres this little thing called a script and its on the internet and at the bottom of the page on the last page of the script it says Harvey Dent lay there. DEAD, not to mention nolan has publicly said not to worry about Dent and Eckhart himself said he was…get this….DEAD. is that too "challenging" for u to get?

Two-Face is dead. His body was motionless while Batman and Commissioner Gordon gabbed. They had a funeral and buried him. Nolan is not about to pull a fast one and say "GOTCHA!" That's not the world he set up.

Think about it. All those cops that showed up swarming the area at the end and they don't see Dent's body laying on the ground? Gordon sent everyone to chase Batman then tucked Dent away under some rocks and came back later, took him to his mad-science lab and revived him?

That isn't the world Nolan has created in these films. The body was collected from the scene, autopsied, buried. Done.

So glad that Nolan decided to stick with the IMAX cameras and go the high-definition route instead of going 3-D. So many mediocre films (Step UP 3-D, for example) have gone this route and it just gets to the point where 3-D isn't something exciting to look forward to at the movies anymore.

I figured they wouldn't use the Riddler as the next villain. Keep in mind folks that there ARE other choices for the next villain besides the one's that have been featured in the previous Batman movie series.

It’s kind of perfect. The beginning, the fall, and the rise into something greater than he was…. but it took the fall for the rise into hero status to come. Kind of like the Phoenix Rising. (google it) Also, just “Knight Rises” would have been incomplete. There it is.

It's gonna be the Riddler. Makes too much sense to not be.
Also, KnightFall does not complete the story.
example.
New Hope (The birth of something new as compared to Batman Begins)
Empire Strikes Back (all hell breaks loose ….. Dark Knight)
Return of The Jedi (Rise into greatness Dark Knight Rises)

Gordon gets suspended after being linked to the Batman.
Bruce Wayne is framed for the murder of Coleman Reese.
Fox loses his job.
The Wayne Company being investigated.

Someone (???????) figures out who Batman is and starts messing with his life but, when Reese turns up dead the clues don't add up. A fugitive on the run, the Dark Knight's journey will take him across the globe to clear his name and ultimately back to Gotham City for the final battle against the mystery villian(s).

Dark Knight Rises should continue some of the subtle undertones of the previous movie. Namely, Batman having to deal with escalation both in costumed evildoers and costumed vigilantes alike (think of the scene in DK with the 'fake' batmans); and the possibility of a hero like Batman crossing the line from using his resources to protect Gotham's citizens, to using Gotham's citizens as resources to the end of his own vendetta (think of the DK scenes featuring cell phone surveillance).

To me, no one character symbolizes both those problems and the complexity they present better than Jean Paul Valley as Azrael. What better way to cement the necessity of limitations of power than to introduce Azrael as at-first an ally who then becomes increasingly unstable and violent to the point of engineering his own enhanced suit which Batman must fight to re-establish himself and the righteousness of his mission.

I think that would tell a great, meaningful and very poignant story about friendship and responsibility, while also looking GREAT on film, and giving Bruce Wayne the chance to remerge at the end of the movie as a hero, instead of the retreat he was forced into at the end of DK.

Also Black Mask would be absolutely great if done in a very real and frightening way (i.e. mutilations and his personal vendetta against wayne). Either way you cut it, we need to see more real-world villian characters that continue to play on duality. There has to be that struggle between the dark and light.

I cannot believe how many people in this thread have so little faith in Christopher Nolan!?! I think he has already proven himself as a more accomplished film-maker than anyone here and I trust him completely.

Glad he is not going with the Riddler as a good riddler would have meant riding too close to the Joker as per TDK. Also good title, makes perfect sense after the end of TDK!

Black Mask can work.Or…..
Joker/Matthew MacConahay,safely in Arkham Asylum,or so they think.
Being analyzed by Dr.Harleen Frances Quienzel/Harley Quinn/Alexa Dizana,who falls under his twisted spell.To continue his his FTW brand of insanity.
Mean time Bruce Wayne finds a new love interest,Selina Kyle/Catwoman/Leslie Bibb.
All this as under boss running for mayor,Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot/Penguin/Matt Lucas.
(vest)

Are you friggin serious? You're seriously suggesting, that they use the sorry excuse for actor, Mathew MacConahay; as the Joker? I think that just maybe, you apparently missed the insanely brilliant performance by Heath Ledger from the last film, The Dark Knight. I have to say, that what you have stated, just might be the most asinine thing, that I have EVER seen on the internet…….EVER.

Bring back a dark Robin Character. What if old batsey is going a little batsey from all those falls and injuries right, next thing you know he is sees things things that are not there. His minds creates this robin character as a virtual sidekick to help him out. Kind of like Fight Club. Together
they kick butt but in the end Bruce has to cope with the fact that it's all in his head.

So, the much needed humor will be missing. Last time around, Heath Ledger brilliantly supplied the humor, making all of us try not to sleep in between his appearances on the screen. With Christian Bales lifeless deviation from what was a brilliant take on the caped crusader in "Batman Begins" to Aaron Ekhart's impersonation of Bill Pullman in the 80's, only The Joker made "The Dark Knight" watchable. Nolan seems to forget that Batman is a cartoon character, and Batman has always relied heavily on the comical antics of it's villains to give the readers, or audience, a break from the inherent gloom and doom of Batman's Gotham. Daniel Patrick Harris as "The Riddler" would have been a fitting follow up to Heath's "Joker".

My guess is the villian will be Jervis Tetch The Mad Hatter.
But I'd rather see Jack Black cast as King Tut, and do a psychological thriller about a college prof who goes insane and believes he's King Tut. Casting Black would make it lighter and more colorful than the last two films, but not crossing the line into Schumacher-land.

In the classic graphic novel, "The Dark Knight Returns", who did Batman fight? Yes, Superman. The U.S. President pointed out that Batman was out of control and sent in Superman after him. Who is producing , if not directing, the next Superman films? That's right, Christopher Nolan. It is a stretch, because the first 2 Nolan films have featured zero metaphysics, and have one foot firmly in the Michael Mann film noir genre. And that's an approach I prefer. But now that it's firmly grounded in grittiest realism, an epic confrontation with Superman would be that much more powerful.

Ok, so here's a nutzo surprise, what if Nolan uses a Lost take on Batman. Just kidding, but what if back when Batman Begins was going on and Bruce Wayne was stuck in prison, he ended up dying and the previous scenes of him becoming batman were just an afterlife illusion. Haha, Hope not.

I know there are those that are saying they think after Nolan's Batman run they don't want to see another Batman movie for another ten years or so. I'm just not seeing that as a realistic thing, really.
Warner Bros. has already stated they are planning more Batman beyond Nolan's tenure on the franchise. So there will be more post Nolan and I highly doubt they'd let ten years go without a new one. Last time they nearly did that was between the God-awful Batman And Robin and the rebooted Batman Begins between '97 and '05….almost ten years.
Bottom line is money. More money to be had by making another movie post Nolan with a whole new filmmaker and cast and crew. I don't need it to tie into Nolan's continuity, just keep the people doing the next installments at a quality level.

As for the title, The Dark Knight Rises, I wouldn't have used that one, but that's just me.
I don't think it's bad…I'll get used to it. I don't care if it doesn't beat T.D.K.'s box-office take. Don't expect it to. Just give me a quality story comparable to Batman Begins to close out Nolan's run and I'll be satisfied. ;)

Nolan has made it clear he hasn't been guzzling the geek Koolaid and is a staunch supporter of gorgeous, ever-beautiful impossible (still) to replicate FILM as a capture medium — and I thank God that at least someone potent in Hollywood still has their foot in reality..

since he was on the run at the end of dark knight and he told gordon to hunt him "Hunt for the Dark Knight" would be a better title. Then you can have all the bounty hunters and mercenaries go after Bats. Bane, Killer Croc, Deadshot, to name a few. You can also have Talia, daughter of Ra's. Black Mask would totally work as the new mob boss. hugo strange would be interesting

Yeah, the title really bothers me. Too wordy. My personal favorite would have been just calling it "Gotham".

Taking the Riddler out of the equation doesn't bother me, but it certainly makes who the villain will be a challenge to guess. Nolan has made it a point to stay away from the over-the-top villains, or better put, the one's that would require a ton of CGI to pull off. Clayface, for example.

I'll narrow it down though: Mad Hatter, Catwoman or Bane. I guess with Tom Hardy being cast, I could see him as a realistic take on Killer Croc too.

The joker will be returning…it's not hard to have a talented actor….portray the joker…ledger wowed me with his performance…..it was great, but the joker did not die…he's in arkum asylum?…but anyway it's not difficult to be amazed by a new joker..or rather a different joker….Jack wowed us i1990…heath did it in 2008…now who will wow us with there performance in 2012?

YES! Thank-you Nolan, no Riddler and no 3D! How about a small cameo of the Joker? Mr. Nolan, we KNOW you have extra footage of HAL that you have tucked away some where. A villain that has not been on the big screen before would be nice to see,or maybe create someone totally new? Avoiding the overdone 3D is a smart move. People are getting sick of it. Too bad POTC4 does not realize that. I am not arrogant to suggest actors or titles, I am going to just go with whatever Nolan does, he has never disappointed in the past.

I didn't trust that Nolen knew what he was doing when he cast Heath Ledger as the Joker…..but I was obviously proven wrong.

I'll go along with this title, even if it does sound a bit odd.

I love "The Dark Knight" as a title for he second film, but using it a second time, and in this way, seems like too much. It just doesn't flow. Why not do what Star Trek did and have "The Dark Knight: INSERT TITLE HERE" ? Or why not just use "Batman: INSERT TITLE HERE"

Hardy should be a new and improved Joker, who's running for Mayor or Governor on an anti-batman platform, and calls himself a restaurant owner and entrepeneur, but he's really a gangster in the shadows, something like a lobbyist for the mob to political leaders, and now that the mob has been wiped out, he quietly took over their rackets. Selina Kyle should be in it too (although that would make it way too much like the original second movie) because she was never a killer, and was the only woman bruce could ever love (besides rachel) because she's just as crazy as him, but doesn't kill and only pushes his morality envelope. don't think it'll happen because, like i said, its too much like tim burtons sequel, but i'd love it. they can't do some obscure villain if they want another mega hit, the dark knight was a massive hit because EVERYONE had heard of the joker, and then there was the buzz about heath ledgers death. the only villains everyone (not just fanboys) have heard of are joker, penguin, cat woman, riddler and maybe scarecrow- thats it. all these other obscure ones arent really gonna fly.

Nolan wants to keep it close to Real life so we wont see villains like Clayface, Killer Croc or Man-Bat. I'd like to see some one like Hush, Mr Zsasz, Red Hood or Black Mask. I think a great small role villain (or villains i should say) would be Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee as sinister schizophrenic twins, something you could mold into a real life character.

Two villains. Hugo Strange, now that Batman is a wanted fugitive in the eyes of GCPD, they call in Strange to try and work out the reasoning behind Batman and his motives. Strange goes that step too far, actually donning a cape and cowl to commit crimes to purposely give the Batman a bad name to draw him out and confront him.

The second: Killer Croc.
The fear toxin that was released into Gotham Harbour by Scarecrow in Batman Begins infects and mutates and teenage boy that fell off the bridge in the rush for everyone to escape the city. Hiding in the sewers, Croc blames Batman for what has happened.

I heard maybe Killer Croc is going to be in this movie, because they’re doing half the filming in Louisiana and Killer Croc, I heard, is from Louisiana. But I wouldn’t bet on it. I actually really believed that the Riddler was going to be in the movie because the rumor seemed so legitimate. But I guess not…which is a good thing. I’m personally hoping for Catwoman played by Summer Glau. I whole-heartedly trust Chris Nolan.

Im still hoping He doesnt just drop the Joker as a part of Batmans life or Movie, thats someone who didnt die damn it and who is very very importent to the character of Bats, lol. "Were destined to do this for forever" misqoutation but close enough. The title is great because after The DarkKnight movie Batman is the Villian hints the ending of the last flim and he needs to be the hero again,right? aahh. Bring Bullet as a new hire to hunt bats, just like that fat cop. Is he bad, is he good, yeah he just hates batman,pretty good cop..Oh and catwoman wasnt a f'in cat! Shes a "cat burgular" get it , God I hate Tim Burton.

harley quinn is irrelevant if you're not going to have the joker there for her to fall in love with. and let's face it, the joker isn't going to happen again.

i heard they're filming in and around new orleans so my hope is that they bring in croc because he's one of the scariest villains. i know it's not the mobster scene from the first two, but it wouldn't be batman without the outlandish villains.

i've always hoped that selina kyle would be in the story line, but i feel that if she was inserted into the fray now, it would just be a throwaway, like, "we had to put her in, so here."

Well, Black mask would be awsome and fiting since the gangs aproach and the fact that sionis is conected to bruce… Strange would be nice but seems to fit more in a supporting role or better an enemy bruce faces while the black mask is the trial for him that awaits him in his dark knights armor… my guess of returning characters would be Scarecrow.. he served as continuty nod the last time, and I think no matter who is out there he would be in the movie.. and last but not least… don t we all hope for selina to make an appearence…by the way she would fit in a Black mask, Batman, Bruce Triangle…hrmm… sadly this makes 3 potential Villins on my count, and hadn't nolan shown that he can handle that in a good manner (even though Batman Begins was a bit crowded) i would be scared.. but no matter what he does it will fit, and be awesome in the end, i am shure.. so we will just have to wait for the virals to start ….^^

I like the title and am somewhat glad that the Riddler won't be the villain. It's shows Nolan is going to kick it up and make it more unpredictable, and as far as Hugo Strange, I really hope not.
All I know is that I'm psyched the film has a title and is moving forward.

Shadow Of The Bat, Batman Rises, Knight Fall, or Batman III: Fall Of Gotham City sound like a interesting title…Why cant we vote??? Another thing a quick suggested shadow, laugh, or cgi cameo of heath as the joker would be cool…think of how they did for brandon lee in The Crow…They should make this movie more dark, and gothic…sadisitic and twisted…And I think a sadistic Riddler should be in it…Also if catwoman was on it, it would be fantastic….Im not sure if im feeling all the other comic book villains, cause they fall kinda short…There should be a boy in it…maybe a very young robin would be cool….so that when it ends they hint towards robin but in a dark subliminal way….not all like batman forever, cause failed in introducing robin the right way….This movie should be amazing…

Ah I Got It!! Black Mask, Riddler, Catwoman, Clayface, Cameo of Joker, And Scare Crow… Sounds like a good line up…Shadow Of The Bat, Batman III: Fall Of Gotham City, or Batman Rises, or Return Of The Dark Knight….maybe Tom Hardy as a sidekick to Batman? And quite possibly Bruce Wayne dieing, with a hint in the end that Tom Hardy will fill Batman's shoes and continue his legacy…..

If they wanted to be REALLY dark they could do the Mad Hatter. Kiddie love is indeed some dark ish. Maybe as a secondary character…who would be a lead villain…Manbat?? That would be a REALLY deranged twist…

I wish they would bring in Poison Ivy. Uma Thurman & Co. BUTCHERED her. Pamela Isley was a classy, sultry, sophisticated yet psychotic eco-terrorist…she' my fav femme fatale and would LOVE to see her depicted how she should be. Thankfully Bruce Timm did her justice in the cartoons :) Mx

Strange develops a chemical that turns people into mindless brutes. BANE!
Combo of the two is now my hypo. Strange develops Bane, Bane breaks Batman's back, just like the comic books. I see Nolan sticking to this…

I can see Black Mask as the forerunner for the main villain, although I'm sure there will be a few more. Hopefully, Catwoman and Bane, who could both be given great storylines in Nolan's more "realistic" world. I like the idea of Black Mask's identity being a secret, and I could see Nolan going in this direction.

The title is a bit weak IMO. "Shadow of the Bat" is definitely my first choice. Like "The Dark Knight", it's different enough to be distinguished as a separate film, but similar enough to connect to the other two in the trilogy. "The Dark Knight Rises" sounds like it's just a sequel to the "Dark Knight" and not a standalone film.

And, just to clarify, TWO FACE IS DEFINITELY DEAD. I'm sick of people saying "oh he'll come back, he could have easily survived". He was THE tragic character in The Dark Knight, and one of the most important themes of the film – the fact that Batman will not kill – comes to a climax with his death. The whole time the Joker was toying with Batman, trying to get Bats to kill him, Bats wouldn't give in because it was the ravings of a mad-man. It would be like giving in to a terrorist's demands. But at the end of the film, Two-Face was pointing a gun at a CHILD because he wanted to make Commish Gordon feel sorry, and lose something he loved. Batman then tackled him, pushing him to his death without attempting to save him. This was a conscious choice by Batman, and it killed Two-Face, thus bringing so many of the film's themes together perfectly. Bringing him back would be like raping everything "The Dark Knight" worked towards with his character (even though I would have loved to see him get more screentime).

-Yea-h-, I was really praying for Depp as the riddler… But I have so much faith in Nolan's movie -I aint worried a bit. Face it- Batman Begins & Dark Knight were ridiculously awesome pics. No chance the third is a let down.

I was just thinking the same thing. Thankfully he's already played a somewhat innocent version of a deeply disturbed DC villain; The Mad Hatter. Just think if he went 180 on his portrayal from Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and become this super dark psychotic genius for Dark Knight Rises. That would be pretty cool!

He should definately change the title, name it anything else but The Dark Knight Rises…please…..each film had its own individual name, we can at least see a new inspiring name…Shadow Of The Bat, Batman Rises, Or Knight Fall…Or Return Of The Dark Knight

Stay with the Joker. We all loved Heath to bits, but the character must live on. The fight between the bat and the joker must continue for all time, or else the Joker's monologue at the end of the Dark Knight is rendered void.

Tom Hardy should play the guy that hunts Batman in Year One. All of Gotham's resources are now focused on getting Batman. Meanwhile, the Joker is orchestrating his elaborate escape from Arkham with the help of his psychologist – Quinn. Ultimately Joker escapes. Batman almost gets caught, and Hardy's character is left looking like a fool.

what about the ventriloquist? i'd go for giovanni ribisi or maybe phillip seymour hoffman…if it were the riddler (i know it said it wouldn't be but i still hope it might) i'd go for joseph gordon-levitt or maybe even allow jim carrey to redo his rendition (a more serious one)…it's a shame brittany murphy died cause i think she woulda made a brilliant harlequin…amy adams as poison ivy?

Title sucks miserably. The Dark Knight…and then The Dark Knight Rises? Dumb. Uninspired. There are plenty of other Batman style phrases that would have worked: Gotham City or Shadow of the Bat for example.

Fans who hate the title as much as me should start a movement somehow. A petition to Nolan himself!

talia al guhl would make the most sense. she comes looking for revenge and hush i think is a lock as vigilante gone wrong it ties all the themes of the first two together and could seal the series nicely.

i think the name reflects the title of one of the greatest graphic novels–batman: the dark knight returns. i really hope he bases it off of that, which would include two face and the joker. he did such a great job with batman begins, every scene portraying a strip in the graphic novel “batman: year one” (especially the scene where he uses sonar to call all the bats to distract the police). nolan is a great portrayer of the dark knight, a.k.a. batman (for all of you batman fans that have never read the comics and dont know batman’s nicknames), and i know that, whether or not its based on “batman: dark knight returns”, the movie will be great and almost as good as the dark knight

Batman Rises is from the Blackest Night series from DC Comics so Dark Knight Rises just seems like he couldnt come up with his own original title but if Dark Knight had to do with Harvey Dent then it seems as if he'll say Harvey died but Two face didnt! Jus like the comics and if he wants to keep it gangster than thats whats he is gonna do! I will wait for the dvd cuz it will be out 3 months after it bombs at the theaters anyway! That seems to be the trend lately!!!!! Make mine Marvel!!!!!!

I was kind of hoping for something like Michael C. Hall as the Riddler, but i'm interested to see who it ends up being. I guess it could be a more mob styled penguin. They could do Bane with someone like Nathan Jones, or perhaps Mr. Zsasz

Hugo Strange makes the most sense at this point. Him in combination with Talia Al Guhl, Bane, or Hush would be good. I'm still hoping for Phillip Seymor Hoffman as Penguin. I think it could be done realistically.

What if all the previous villains returned and evolved? Ra's Al Ghul finances Scarecrow and Carmine Falcone being released off the jail. Falcone takes the identity of Black Mask, so he can stand up to the fear Batman plays. Harvey Dent's good persona dies, but its Two-Face character turns even sadistic and becomes something even more monstruous, like Killer Croc. All of them are controlled by a still-in-jail Joker, who does not show up because Batman's still off the map. So, to handle these returning criminals, new faces show up inspired by Batman ( something referenced in the second movie and in The Dark Knight Returns comic ), like a Catwoman or other Batmen. Something tragic happens to these new faces, making Bruce Wayne return to action. I don't think Joker will actually show up, so a ending twist would reveal that the real responsible is Harley Quinn ( clearly influenced by the Joker ) or someone very close to Bruce Wayne.

I don't think they're going to do anything to complicated with the plot as far as introducing too many new characters or even bringing back any old villains. Complicated senerios, yes, but the movie/story needs to come to a conclusion in an epic way without having to tell to many back stories or anything that will take focus away from Batman on the run and then returning to aid Gotham.

As long as Nolan stays away from the too comic-bookish villains (i.e. Bane – how are you going to portray him in a way that doesn't scare off those who aren't regular readers? Characters like him give -at first glance- the impression of a purely fantastic character who does not possess the depth required to make a good movie character), he'll probably do just as well as he did with TDK.

…oh, and please no sudden character revivals. That follows the comic book way of narration far too closely.

(by the way, I'm a regular comic book reader. I just don't think that said characters could do well in a movie that wants to be taken seriously.)

I do not have a clear cut villian that would make the best suited for TDKR. I do know Nolan has a reputation for "suprising" and not casting people down the traditional road. In my opinion the ideal villian would be one Ben Foster. *He played Russell Crowe's sidekick in "3:10 to Yuma". You want "creepy"? He is your choice. Seeing the darkness that Nolan likes to portray, Foster plays one of the best spine tingling villians in his movies. Excellent choice C.N.

The tittle is very interesting. Can mean a whole bunch of things.
I'm incredibly glad that the Riddler won't be the villain.
I would like to see Two-Face again, I loved Aaron Eckhart's performance.
And sincerely, I don't want to see Catwoman or Talia… but I trust Nolan can make great use of them… so let's see what comes from the Dark Knight Rises.

no one dull or boring it should be a heavy hitter, someone who is gonna make a fat dent in Batman's life. some one who would make this next film a smash hit. not penguin nor some unlikely person you would never expect. make this move better than the dark knight.

Well, I just want to point out that Nolan did mention the title of the third movie goes along their storyline so yeah, we can desire other movie titles all we want but that's not what Nolan has in mind apparently. I too would like a different title, such as, 'The Caped Crusader' or something along the lines of 'TDK: Redemption' or TDK: Retribution but oh well! I think Two-Face will be one of the villains and there'll be somebody else. I won't be surprised if the third movie is tied in w/ the first one w/ Ra's Al Ghul returning. Talia would be nice to see. Penguin hasn't been completely ruled out so it's possible that he might be there but I doubt it though.

I don't think the Joker will be back. It would be hard to replace Heath Ledger. However, I am hoping that Ra's Al Ghoul will be the new villian. I think he's just as brilliant as the Joker. Mickey Rourke would be great casting too.

Someone told me they heard Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin was up next. My head almost exploded from excitement. Although they could cast him as Catwoman and he could pull it off and be terrifying to boot. Just so long as he sticks to people who can actually act (Katie Holmes was painful).

So disappointed that I don't think Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it :( I wish he was…
but I am SO happy it's not going to be in 3D! Yay! I HATE 3D. It is stupid does nothing for the movie
Love that Tom Hardy is in it, but wish JGL is in it
The title is a mouthful, but I'm warming up to it

Tom Hardy as Black Mask, Black Mask has never been portrayed on screen and he ties in with the mob (Sal Maroni was killed and Black Mask will have to take over the mob, and Rachael Dawes was killed off to introduce Sylena Kyle/Catwoman

I was hoping for the riddler as the next villian,but with Mr. Nolan this franchise of the Dark Knight series will be great anyway. Ive been a fan since it was on ABC back in the mid-sixties. Keep up the great work.

So far the best analysis. Interviews with Morgan Freeman on the film have confirmed that the ante gets upped and that the franchise definitively ends. That certainly would match an all out crime war between two heavy weights and Batman sacrifices himself to stop the chaos. My bet? Tom Hardy as Black Mask vs. Aaron Eckhart as a resurrected Two Face. Tom Hardy as Black Mask fits with the actor's prior work (ala Bronson) and Nolan's Gotham Underworld. Although Hardy has physical presence and the slyness to pull off Bane, the Knightfall storyline would be repetitive. There was a mass prison break in Batman Begins. To up the ante a bit for all of the female fans we have Catwoman as a love interest (Batman won't get involved with a normal woman who could become a liability anymore). So yeah, three villains for DKR. Risky, but if anyone can pull it off, I would at least give the Nolans a shot.

I think the authorities will be an antagonist thorough out the film.The major villain will initially appear to be Ras Al Ghul again but will end up being his daughter Taila.
A secondary villain (Deadshot, Killer Croc, etc.) will probably be after Batman as well. The mob will play a small part too (probably hiring the secondary villain.)

Batman will ultimately prevail at reveal The Riddler is true mastermind behind everything who's been playing all sides against him.

Batman will also appear to die at the end, and Taila will use her father's political resources to close the Batman's case and declare him dead or something. (She does this because she respects his ideals and a battle earlier on that restored honour to her DECEASED father's organization.)

In the end, Batman would be restored back to his urban legend status and free to fight crime in Gotham City again.

I think its too early for the title to be raise of Batman. I think there should be at lest one hold movie
where batman is at his lowest. Afraid to be seen or at lest spotted. Fighting in the shadows one punch hits and back in the shadows. Alot harded for him to movie around.
If Batman is running from everyone then he must get his hands on venom to be stronger. Let
Bruse Wanne use venom he gets at Wanne Tech. They can even have the same guy who knows
Bruse Wanne is batman to sell the secret of venom out.
I want to see Batman be sent to Arkham Asylum. We need too see the darkside of Gotham City.

I’d love to see The ventriloquist….or solomon grundy….or mad hatter…..or whatever toy based villian batsy has….or….oh!!! PHANTASAM!!! And i think they could explore rhas al goul more…cause we all know he didn’t die in the first one…..he didn’t in TAS

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Batman Begins Was introduced as a retelling it set not only how he became batman but the struggle h'ed overcome. (RA's) At the end RA's warns of his choice. Low and behold Joker escalates the usher in a new era. Villans like Harvey- Saying anyone can fall. But most importantly TDK introduced the prison trap where the people were tested and none fell but maybe the point was to release something. "You have NOTHING to threaten me with" "Harvey is mine (ace in the hole). He made batman "kill" him in the sense not of death-they NEVER, NEVER literally said he as a man was dead re-watch it. They say his reputation "Dies with harvey…'s reputation..Reputation!!!" Harvey is alive and it is pinned on Batman. Someone will find out. Tom Hardy was rummored to be Bullock a cop who spies on Gordon. Wheres Bruce Wayne suggests Batman is all Bruce does. "Dont make me your only hope for a normal life-(in the letter he never got)." TDK Rises. TDK meaning harvey. hence the fall literally. You'd need a strong mentalist, a woman, and a writer's convience.
Nolan said "characters we've had all along…" Meaning Eckheart, Scarecrow or Zzas. "True to the first to A COMPLETION-Talia Al ghoul. and "new ones" hence a new mentalist or see what batman can do againt a planner not chaos. Organization. The return of Organized crime-with a twist. Escalation.

Hush would be perfect. They can show a flashback when bruce, thomas, and rachael are young and there was a love triangle for a long time. When college hits they all split up and do their own thing. Now that she is dead, the movie starts with a funeral and bruce looks over to see thomas. Thomas says he finds out how "Batman" is the reason she is dead, and he goes after him. Which he finds out it is Bruce, etc etc.

I want Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin. The villain, as in the comics, can weigh in as a legitmate crime boss, maybe one that Batman tolerates in exchange for cooperation in keeping the more threatening sort in check. If so, the title can be appropros, given such cooperation was unheard of in the first two films.

Bane *cough* whhaaatt. Tom Hardy hes a big guy and he can play insane, bane is created by 'super science' also it could be Solomon Grundy. Eric Roberts 'Salvatore Maroni' may or may not of died in the car crash with two face and also Robert has had a part in both batmans.

I like the title because it completely picks up where the last movie left off
with people persecuting batman, naming the movie Dark Knight Rises just shows how he will get his status back as the Gotham Knight we know and love.

Batman is by far my favorite comic book hero and Christopher Nolan has taken this franchise to a place I always wanted to see it go, so thankyou Mr. Nolan for that. The dark and gritty theme in these films has made them some of my favorite and I look forward to the next one. I was shocked how much I loved Ledger's performance as the Joker, when i first heard he was playing him I was convinced that no one could beat Jack Nicholson's but I was wrong. The death of Heath Ledger was tragic and the unfortunate loss of him as an actor is nothing compared to the pain felt by his family and friends. But still it leaves a void in the franchise, no doubt about that.

Heres what I think should happen, if I wrote it. I think the best thing to do would be to keep the joker in the next one but in the dark, he doesnt need to be the focus but he does need to be there. Perhaps in a cell in the asylum sitting inthe corner in the dark where we cant actually see his face while someone is peering inside to get a look at him, that would be a way to keep the character without having to take it from Ledger. You could have a person of similar weight and build with the same hair and everything play him as long as you kept his face in the dark, You would need to recreate his laguh but I bet theyve got some of his laughs that were recorded during the filming of the dark night that could be used. to be continued…

continued from before…..Perhaps he doubts himself and doesnt want to come into the light anyway because his plan to rbing down the people failed when they didnt blow up the ferries, maybe he doubts himself. maybe its harley that rejuvenates him and his love/hate thing for batman. I think harley Quinn would be the best villain for this one. I can forsee while Batman is on the run, crime picking up faster than he can catch up with. With the mob still broken by the joker and and joker in the asylum it would be a mystery who is calling the shots and the revelation is that harley Quinn, who started as a psychologist in the asylum and secretly fell in love withthe joker has been relaying his ideas to his men on the outside about what to do, she would be the missing link the amazing end could be the Joker escaping wit the help of Harley and the revelation of what she been doing and the people realizing the Batman is going to have to be tolerated to get rid of the truely horrible villains. I can see the end now, the Joker out of the Asylum standing a ways away from the Batman in a sillouette again so we cant see his faxce and that creeepy laugh as he runs off into the night. It wouldbe epic.

Hey guys with all do respect, Nicol is a great director let him do his work and let us wait and watch what suprise he has for us.

Let look at "Batman" 1 awesome
"The Dark night" Better then any super hero movie I have seen my entire life.
"Inception" Some thing new and realy cool. no 3d but better than Avatar.
And Now "The Dark Knight Rises"

Let's just say that Nolan knows what he's doing! He's been amazing so far, the title seems to me like it means more than the literal…also think of the darkness of night rising, as there is no difference in the knight and night when you say them, only when they are written. Perhaps that was the intention, to broaden the spectrum rather than just calling it Gotham City…we know where it takes place…and the Riddler is a pretty lame character to put in a realistic Batman movie in my opinion. We need something fresh, the Joker was impressive beyond all of our expectations, we can't expect to see the same amount of effort and genius go into a character with less depth and a bunch of silly riddles. Don't get me wrong I always liked that character, just saying it doesn't fit into this incarnation and I expect better and have faith that I will see something brilliant when I pay money for this one!

The only way Harvey Dent's "death" from a great height could've been less convincing is if it were a bridge, and the body was never recovered. Safe to say he could survive a tumble of that scale, and that the entire White Knight plot of the film explains the reason for subterfuge. Off-the-screen, it's Nolan's own penchant for controlled relevance that would reason why The Dark Knight ended with a supposed definitive conclusion to Harvey Dent's metaphorical "fall", instead of a sequel teaser.

Nolan might've alluded to Dent's "death" in interviews (can't say I encountered that), but there were also interviews with Goyer and Eckhart that floated possibilities of a Harvey Dent — or should I say, Two-Face — reprisal. Maybe a public reveal of Dent's status as insane master criminal will push the Batman to rise.

Personally pleased to hear of the Riddler's apparent irrelevance, and the Miller-esque title! Very exciting!

As Batman readers know, Ra's a;-Ghul is not easily killed. He did not died in the first film's finale, his closed eyes and serene pose indicating perhaps he transferred his mind elsewhere. So in a new body (which doesn't look like his old body), he secretly steals the fresh corpse of Harvey Dent and uses a Lazarus Pit to bring the Gotham attorney turned villain back to life. Together, Dent and al-Ghul terrorize Gotham and draw Batman into what may be his final battle.

I dont really like the new title for the movie…i really wanted it to be shadow of the bat but whatever you cant always get what you want. I also was really hoping for a good batman movie with the riddler being a big villan for batman to face i mean i think he would be a great new setup for the Nolan series of batman films. So who will he chose as the next villan for the dark knight rises? He needs to tell us soon before i get mad!!

Oh good, another overly long movie with Christian Bale growling the whole time so he can sound tough. Unless the villian is King Tut or Egg Head, count me out. The Dark Knight was the most over rated film ever.

heya my names adam im a huge batman fan i think chris nolan<director of batman>should put all the villans in it put riddler in it played by johnny depp catwoman played by megan fox mr freeze played by philp seymor hofman.And as a little surprise racheal's still alive but in protective custady.

Now that the iconic Joker villan has been used, Nolan is probably gonna steer clear of the rest of the villans Tim Burton used in his saga, so that means no penguin, catwoman, riddler, poison ivy, or mr freeze (although two-face was in both versions). Maybe a darker, perhaps even smarter Bane would be my way to go though.

i really like the title but i would like to see someone more diabolical than Hugo Strange (i really like him but i feel him as a secondary villain like Scarecrow in Batman Begins), Black Mask would be the perfect villain for this movie, he is more attached to the Chris Nolan style than any other and he is very diabolical

I'm guessing the title is strictly for box office success. Christopher Nolan, best director of our time. Easily the best comic book adaptation movie of all time. Cant wait for third movie. As much as i loved the first two as a fan of the comic books i have to say two things. His Bat-universe is based on realism, but he makes a mistake on Batman's most "realistic" rogue, Victor Zasz.. I hope he revisits Victor for the third movie and since there is no riddler, its shaping up more and more to be Black Mask. Whoever he casts to be the next villain, may the acting gods be with them.

I actually love the title on first glance. It picks up right where The Dark Knight left off and it sounds like it should provide a good closing movie to one of the greatest cinematic trilogies of all time.

Ok look…catwoman is played out, two-face isn’t really that threatening all alone and bane is pretty unrealistic. The penguin wasn’t so much a villain as he was an informant for batman against the mob. Killer croc would visually be cool to see but is totally absurd in the nolan-verse. The only characters I could see him using is black mask, hush, maybe the great white shark (remember, he’s a minor character that is a mob boss) or possibly a joker revival. There is only one person that could pull the joker off and, with proper back story introduced, could show an evolution of the character…mark hamill! He did the voice for the joker in the animated series and arkham asylum video game, not to mention he kind of looks like an aged heath ledger anyway. Just my thoughts, nolan will put out a good movie no matter what!

sorry kid batman is too early in his career to add robin. Plus Bale and Nolan states that they would leave if a Robin was introduced. And if there is another thing we dont want is another actor playing Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Chris – catwoman, please! The 'new' batman needs a female villain and the cat is the only logical choice. Rachel is gone so bruce needs a new love interest too and this can only be provided by Selina. The film would have to have another more essentially evil villain to appear at the same time and i know this was done in Returns but the two don't nessicarily have to work together or even share screen-time. More minor villains in the franchise could even turn up as well, if only to continue the escalation theme in the last film and then let batman batter the lot of them to provide a suitably epic ending to the trilogy, if indeed this is going to be the the final part of the saga. Despite everything i've said, i do trust Nolan to do what is right for the greatest character in modern fiction and as for the title i wasn't that impressed with 'the dark knight', but after seeing the film i realised that it was perfect for the story. Can't wait!

Am i the only one who is hoping for the Killer Croc? He was just big and strong with a really bad skin condition. Think of "The Rock" with really bad Cirriosis (probably spelled wrong) and some anger management issues. Throw in some filed teeth. If done right, he could be a winner.

Everyone wants to see their favorite character come to life. As much as I'd like to see killer croc, or man bat…it would turn into a more sci fi or supernatural movie. Nolan's last two movies have been DARK and almost R rated like…he manages to keep the pg-13 stat with how he directs. The joker was violent, but you barely saw any blood…or too much of it.

Killer Crock is exactly what his name is…lol. I think Nolan will use the realistic characters in the movie such as Black mask, Hush, deadshot….etc….characters that dont have powers. Bane could be used right….but you have to remember, bane is a scientist he supposed to be super smart….how can that fit into the story with a bounty on batman? many ways, or will it only lead to something being cheesy?

and the Penguin?? using an actor like danny de vito or that guy who won an oscar in CAPOTE, and appeared in Mission Impossible III, or Harley Quinn, because killer croC its just too much sci-fi, and bringing back Harvey would sound silly…

One thing I don't understand; If Harvey Dent is truly dead, then doesn't that mean Batman killed him, going against his "one rule" he'd defended only minutes before when he saved the Joker?

Nitpicking aside, Black Mask sounds like a good candidate, what with the gangster character, although Hugo Strange could establish what happened to the asylum after Dr. Crane went loopy. Always did hate his brief appearance in Batman Begins. ;-;

Harley Quinn would be the best one….they have never incorporated her in any live action batman..She is also badass and funny and dark at the same time. Even though there isnt going to be a joker doesnt mean there is no Harley. They could do a team up of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.

I think the female lead will be Talia… Ra's Al Ghouls Daughter who is continuing her fathers quest to "end Rome" (Gotham). Perhaps she will muscle in on Wayne Enterprises while Batman is on the run to clear his name while protecting Harvey Dent's Memory and have a champion (like Azreal?) to be mistaken as an evil batman who could do all the killing that Ras Al Ghoul always wanted.

I still think Poison Ivy (just called Ivy in the movies) should be a vegan backpacking evil hippy eco-terrorist.

Is so glad The Riddler isnt the villain, and am tired of seeing all this talk about the more cartoonish and "non-sensical" villains from the comic books. Have people not been paying attention to the 1st two movies? Nolan's Batman is not out in la-la land people. He takes things that, while take some imagination, are nowhere near out of the realm of possibility. It's closer to the real world, and face it, a lot of the comic book villains being mentioned dont have a place in Nolan's franchise. As for the title? Nothing wrong with it.

Lets just hope it does not go the way of Spiderman and Batmans secret identity is let known to the population…the whole franchise loses its cache when this happens…whatever is done I will enjoy it, this is a certainty as long as it remains DARK and does not get cartoonish like the first attempts of the Dark Knight with Keaton and crew…

So many awesome villains, so little screen time. I would like to see Mr. Nolan do something very different and new to all of us Batman fans and introduce a new to the screen villain. I think clayface would be one awesome idea!

I think Hush is perfect as the new villain. He hates Bruce Wayne just as much as he hates Batman. He also represents the path Bruce Wayne could have taken. Leaves room for another largish villain too, maybe The Penguin as the new leader of the underworld?

Obviously it wouldnt make much sense for the next film but at some point i think Red Hood(AKA the first Robin gone bad) should be in a film
Also I think they should make a Batman of the future film with CGI today that would look impressive

I think that his idea is good to get rid of the Riddler but i don't think that he should add any of these 'comic book' batman characters. That would just make the film seem sort of comical rather that realistic. I have a great story line up my sleeve but it isn't quite complete yet. Personally i think that my idea is better that any of the 'rumors' that i've read.

A lot of people here are dumb, you nerds are supposed to be smart but damn mostly idiots. It won't be harley q, Heath died and Nolan is a respectable director, recasting another actor for Joker would be really messed up and if you were smart you would see that Nolan is close to the actors he cast. As for the villains, the possible choices are Selina Kyle, Hush, Black Mask, Strange (though maybe not because it seems like he will be the main villain in Arkham City), maybe Bane, Tahlia, or a return of Ra's. Everyone that says the Riddler is a bad choice are most likely losers who thought the adam west batman portrayals were cool. They weren't, get over it. Riddler in a serious world is a master intellectual whose detective skills rival the dark knights who has a sense of professionalism and seeks fame to be respected and recognized. I would like to see Tom Hardy as Hush and I am sure in this film Batman is going to face the main villain man to man face to face and I am sure the big threat is that someone is going to figure out his identity. I am basing this off the fact that Nolan has so far taken his influences from Killing the Joke, The Long Halloween, and has even said he is a big fan of the Hush Storyline. Nerds, please shut up.

It could be Harley, you never know, it could be a revenge theory. But yes I agree It most probably wont be her, as Heath Ledger is no longer here. It would be a good idea and well portrayed by Nolan though, Ra's is dead, by looks of things from Batman Begins. Riddler would be a good idea, but i think Nolan thinks its too close to the Joker and doesnt want to do a comeback on that, I think it will be someone totally unexpected and that's Nolan for you, that's what makes it interesting. What's wrong with people simply stating their opinions which is what you have just done? No need to be rude!

It's gotta be something along the line of supernatural, evil rising and run amok.
It can still have the action sequences…taken to an extreme…since the Dark Knight
owes much of his force of will to the dark side in all of us. But to just do another
bang, bang, boom, boom in IMAX?
That's when I'll walk away.

What about Raaz??? In the Batman universe isnt he a rather old individual? As in the lazarus pits? Also, wouldnt the series be a little more "well-rounded" if it had a female villain? Catwoman or Harley? Harley would most likely make a lot of people think she was written in to replace the Joker. But, how could Catwoman be made any darker or sexier than Pfeiffer's? Personally I think that at least one of the supervillains should have that undestructable feel, like Batman can only battle him but never remove him from the picture. I think if Harvey returned it would make an interesting plot and give that feel that Batman is willingly fighting a battle that even he knows will never end.

I think Jolie would be a horrible choice if they go with Catwoman, Marion Cotillard is a far better actress, but i think they should go with a younger actress as Batman is meant to be younger, Harley Quinn would be an amazing change as no-one has ever put her onto film and it would be a shame not to, she is the best female villain in the franchise and the only one never to be used.

I am so very glad he did not go with the silly Riddler and I hope against hope that he steers clear of Catwoman, Harley Quinn and other corny villains. The best Batman stories featured NONE of these absurd, redundant characters and I do not think even Nolan could make any of them seem less ridiculous.
I am hoping that he goes with the rumored idea of Penguin as a physically short arms dealer so nicknamed for his penchant for wearing tuxedos. THAT would fit right in with Nolan's established continuity.

Mark my words though, Frank Miller was jsut getting his feet wet with the awful Spirit movie adn when Nolan steps away from Batman I give it maybe 4 or 5 years before we see "The Dark Knight Returns" directed by Miller(who will probably f*** it up like he tried to do with Year One, when Aronofsky was to direct that film).

I am super, super bummed that The Riddler isn't going to be in the 3rd installment. He is my personal all-time favorite DC character. I was mostly dissapointed with Jim Carrey's portrayal, and was dying to see Nolan's version of him, played by the actor who even expressed interest in the role, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. One thing satisfying though about The Riddler not being in it is that this "Johnny Depp as the Riddler" thing is over, I really didn't want to see Johnny Depp as The Riddler. Although I would like to see Killer Croc, he doesn't fit the realism tone. A villain that could fit, that would be really cool (and that deserves major justice) is Bane. The Venom formula has about as much realism as Scarecrow's toxic fear gas. The Penguin can pretty much be ruled out. Although I would like to see him, Nolan has stated that The Penguin would be a difficult character to fit in the franchise.

I believe that the killer croc should be introduced into this movie, Black mask is a good character as well like maybe follow the newest batman video game arkham asylum. i think it would be interesting to also add robin or introduce his character to add to movie building if you'd want to make a fourth movie and so forth

WOW! why has The Riddler been crossed off the list as a possible choice for the next Batman film. not fair. You know that the Joker has had his many chances and like they say in the article above, The Riddler should be given a chance because they can go down so many roads and show so many angles with this villian. You know, if they don't keep The Riddler as an option……………….The Mad Hatter could make a great entrance……..think about it?!?! another possible villian with soooooo many angles for a film dialogue.

The title is great relative to the events @ the close of the Dark Knight. TDK had a title that was a play on words relative to the way the movie played out for Bruce Wayne(the dark knight) in that things went badly for him so it was a proverbial dark night. Anyway, with the citizens and police of Gotham not wanting Batman anymore and him being on the run in one sense, the story has to have him doing something redemptive in it or @ the end, thus "The Dark Knight Rises" is the best title for the film. Metaphorically, how Batman was left with only the Batpod rather than the Batmobile was the same as his operation being pared down with no Lucius Fox, Rachel Dawes, Harvey Dent, Lt. Gordon, etc.

i think the title is alright but some of the more common villains won't be used like cat woman, The Penguin, Killer Croc and a few others. for the main reason of REALISTIC Villains now Hugo strange, and the black mask sound like good possibilities. but I'd like to see at least as a minor character the old bat man villain Scarface which I'm sure not a lot of people know, he's a crazed man with a ventriloquist puppet.

HOPE its penguin than…and HOPE johnny depp will play in this third film…would be awesome….no harley quinn…too much like the joker..black mask wouldnt be realism and i dont really like hush…sooooooooo…the best would have been the riddler…anyways..cant wait to see what it will look like :)

The title is a bit of a mouthful, but that won't matter if it's a good film. I think all the villains with super-natural powers such as Killer Croc (being a man crocodile), or the Penguin (with penguin side-kicks) or say Clayface (with super strengnth)-would be unintelligent and cheesy.
The Dark Knight Rises deserves "…a better class of criminal." -Joker
My opinion on the new villian:
Black Mask
Dr. Hugo Strange
or Hush.
GOOD LUCK CHRIS NOLAN AND ALL THE PRODUCERS AND EVERYONE ELSE!
we hope for your best work, and we'll be waiting.

The title completely sucks. That's the best they could come up with? It's just a ploy to keep people interested since if it was by any other name it wouldn't make as much money now that Brokeback gay boy killed himself. I realize that I sound like a homophobic bigot with no regard to anyone but myself but it's true.

Harvey Dent "plainly dead"…..at no point in the film did they say he was dead. Did you watch the "Dark Knight"?….They hardly touched on the "Two-Face" character at the end of the last film. He needs to be a major player in the New one. That's the whole reason Batman took the heat….to save Dents' reputation so he could continue to be Gothams' "White Knight".

Two-Face was and always will be my favorite character and villain. Aaron Eckhart played him beautifully as a tragic fallen hero. the idea that they could bring him back by saying that Harvey never actually died that he was secretly sent off to Arkham Asylum or some other prison like Blackgate is interesting, but then they would have to explain and go into how Commissioner Gordon and Batman knew he was alive and how they covered it up from the Gotham City public to save the embarrassment and scandal that would have come from Harvey's transformation into Two-Face and who else knew about it and so forth and so on. Got any ideas?

I have a strange feeling that Riddler will be in it even if it's just a cameo I'm not sure why….but has any one put any thought into the mad hatter being a villain? he is pretty low profile and it would be interesting to see how nolan did him another one I would like to see is dead shot and or Talia some focus on arkham might be to much to ask……

I love every point you made with the exception of the batman being no more. Nolan has stayed close to the comics and doing something like that would get him crucified. Batman doesn't quit, he will be batman till he dies I think the ending should be conclusive but slightly open ending, perhaps he finds some sort of balance?

It might be interesting to see an all female villain group. Ivy and Harley have teamed up before when Harley and Joker were having issues. I think Catwoman even joined in for some of those. So that could make an interesting dynamic. I would love to see Harley on film, and Ivy is my favorite Batman villain.

I really hope they stay away from Penguin. He's probably my least favorite. Too much gimmick, not enough substance. Mad Hatter could be an interesting choice too. Talya Al Ghul would be a natural option after what happened with her father in the first one. Or there's always Bane. If this is the end of the trilogy, what better way to go out (and open the door for the next set of movies) than for Bane to break the Bat?

I didnt take the time to read all comments but I really think that Nolan should place Batman in Arkham, and have him face his own demons as well as every villian he has ever faced…. like in the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum. Just place all the villans in Arkham and have a bare knuckle brawl out.

Haven't anyone wonder or perhaps though that "The Dark Knight Rises" is just a temporary titled? Even though Nolan said otherwise? Maybe it's just a codename and stuff to protect it from more rumors and leaks. I could be wrong though in which case I really don't mind the title. I think I could be better and it will probably change once they get further into the project. Let's just hope :P

This dark knight series isn’t the only batman movies that ever came out. If you all were real batman fans I would think you all would want a new villain besides the riddler, mr. Freeze, or penguin. Something never done before would be a better fit. I don’t care who they pick for a villain as long as its a new character that will live up to the high expectations. That being said, I like the idea of bane

I think that bat girl may appear in the new batman movie… something to do with how they barley showed the commissioners daughter at all. As far as villains go i would really like to see Bane, Calender man, or even Harley Quinn as a kind of insight to the joker. Seeing how this is rumored as being the last Batman movie i would enjoy there being Robin and/ or Bat girl in it.

I know that Bat Girl is suppose to make an appearance in the near future, but I think they’re holding it off until the fourth film. They haven’t begun casting for her yet, thus why they barely showed Gordon’s daughter.

The problem with putting Robin in the movies is that Bruce is still fairly young as his persona of Batman. It’s also going to be tough to actually cast someone for the role as it’s a very complex character to play. The last Robin had the personality down, but I found something to be a bit off. I’d like to see a younger version of Robin if it can be done, between 13-15 would be fantastic.

I don't care who the new villain is or what the name of the movie is… as long as you don't make up one. The Batman series has the most renowned super villains of any series. JUST PLEASE DO NOT CAST CHRISTIAN BALE AS BATMAN. He made a mockery of Bruce Wayne and his voice as Batman is just plain embarrassing. If you are looking for a new Batman… I recommend Michael C. Hall. I think people would enjoy seeing "Dexter" as "The Dark Night".

I find that the new title to be alright, it’s not the best or the worst they could have gone with. I’m rather psyched that the next villain is going to be Bane, he needs to be redeemed from his god-awful protrayal from the Batman and Robin film. He was a mindless goon for Poison Ivy, just horrible. Nolan made a good choice with Bane in the fact he is a macho super genius (And the only villain to actually break Batman’s back). I’d also would like to see Harvy Dent to come back as Two-Face and really hope he isn’t dead like so many make believe he is.

As for Batty’s new love interest, Catwoman, I’m not sure if Anne Hathaway would be the best choice. She’s a fantastic actress and we’ll just have to wait and see.

I don't really care who's the main villain, I would just love to see a bit of scarecrow. But not scarecrow from Batman Begins, where's he's a wimp who got beat by a steroid, but a more insane and scarier scarecrow. Who maybe works with the main villain but rises up stronger by the end of the movie.

I don't see why the creators of the batman films are allways sticking with the same villains. It has now been confirmed that Bane and Catwoman are the villains played by Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway. I am getting fed up of the same villains. I would love to see Clayface or Killer Croc or even Mad Hatter. I f i chose my own villains and cast it would be Riddler played by David Tennant, Clayface played by Matt Lucas and Harley Quinn played by Jennifer Anniston (with cameos of The Joker instructing Harley in her work)

See I think Anne Hathaway would do a nice Poison Ivy, unfortunately that's a little to science fiction for these movies. So I suppose Catwoman will do. I was hoping for Johnny Depp as the Riddler but oh well. The Dark Knight Rises is too lengthy and they could clean it up. So long as Harley Quinn and Clayface aren't in there I'm good. MAYBE WE SEE ROBIN OR BATGIRL

I think the title has a nice ring to it but I agree with someone earlier it makes batman begins seem to be odd one out so maybe something based on the nicknames from the comic like: caped crusader or worlds greatest detective or something based on theese lines ps Christopher Nolan u cant stop here u must make a movie with harley

I am thinking Harley Quinn would be a good direction to go in. And if recent trends in videogames are any indicator, Bane seems to have become kind of a favorite. I'm sensing an outbreak of venom in Gothams future

If they could do The Penguin as jaw-dropping awesome as Heath Ledger (RIP man) did the Joker, made him eccentric gangster nobility + not an inbred freak homicidal maniac with hencmen in emperor suits, (Barf….) I'd love to see it. Similarly I hope Catwoman isn't a Charie-Fox like last time.
How about "Gotham Rises"? Or "Gotham Ascendant"? How about ANYTHING that's not a redux of the last? I've always loved the mythos of The Dark Knight. But come ON.
Just hope they go to the Batgarage + bring the Tumbler back.

Having no riddler doesnt scare me but I have to say at some point i was hoping for Jim Carey to get the role and pursue a much darker image as the riddler. Penguin would be nice but i have a feeling they are leaning towards Cat Women and maybe one other. Bruce going through a dark period in his life might come face to face with a woman in a similar position! Cant wait though!!! And thank god they arent fallng into the 3D kids world.

Nolan should really give the villain choice some deep thought. Characters such as The Penguin, Catwoman, Black Mask, Hugo Strange, Mr. Freeze, and Harley Quinn would be good as side villains but they would not be the best characters to play the main villain of the movie. The star villain needs to be someone who has a distinct background story that could evolve throughout the movie's storyline and add to the batman's fall in The Dark Knight and his role as the on-the-run fugitive hero in The Dark Knight Rises. Choosing someone such as Bane, Clayface, or even Hush would help add spice to batman and bruce wayne's comeback.

Bane is out to prove himself as the toughest man in Gotham and The Batman being the most wanted criminal out there sends Bane out on a search to find and kill him so as to gain the throne. As with Hush and Clayface they stand as being the next two logical choices because of Hush's connection with Bruce Wayne and Clayface's criminal rampage across Gotham as he goes insane after he mutates and loses his wealth and power.

As for the title though it seems a bit repetitive. Batman rises to the challenge and accepts his role as the hated hero in The Dark Knight. Calling the third movie The Dark Knight Rises just doesnt seem to have the same hype that The Dark Knight had when it was announced. Oh well, the name doesnt really bother me all that much just as long as the movie itself is good.

Oh and it would be nice to bring back Harvey because that last scene in The Dark Knight was a bummer. I know he's not dead so it would be kind of nice to have him break out of wherever he's being held and come back for revenge against Batman. Maybe Nolan can do a villain team-up? Bane and Two-Face? Clayface and Bane? Two-Face and Hush? That would be cool.

No Riddler? That's a disappointment because it seems that "super-intelligent" villains are being cleverly written for these days. They could have done a lot with a villain like that. Oh well. Doesn't seem like he really wants to make this movie anyway. So, for Riddler fans, better no Riddler than a bad Riddler film. I think Nolan failed with Inception. It was a good try, but writing about dreams is extremely difficult to do well, and if Inception was his best shot, then we know his limits, and by that I mean I don't think he would have done The Riddler justice. Cryptography would have been an obvious and cleaver theme/plot to explore. Maybe it's too much to demand of an audience, or maybe it doesn't fit in the Batman universe, although with Nolan's films we haven't really seen the "Bat-cave" and the limits of Bruce Wayne's fortune and technology. It's been in the films, but not to the extant that I thought Nolan would take it. There is nothing supernatural about cryptography, just ask the NSA. I'll stop there, but the Riddler would have been a good choice if Nolan would have been willing to go all out.

I for one do not like the name much and is extremely bummed out about the riddler not being in it, especially if he does bring two face into it lol i loved the older movie with the two of them paired up. but hopefully it will be a good one and i would rather enjoy Harley Quinn somehow being involved, instead of just pushing her out of the mix completely. But the dark knight was a brilliant movie with very good casting(for the joker anyway) and hopefully he will make this one decent…..Oh one of the villians that he could include is the mad hatter, he isn't one that is very well known and he is quite an interesting character

almost certain that it's going to be Ra's al ghul, which makes me somewhat distressed. Although I'd love to see Ghul's hand to hand combat against Nolan's bats, Nolan's obsession with keeping things as realistic as possible would get in the way of his Lazarus Pits, but who cares. No matter who he picks I still get my Catwoman, so I couldn't be happier.

Hear me out… I went out of my way to order the Batman vs predator comics, I know, I know its not old school at all but I always wanted to see it made into a film, and it did take three comics to finish….

i think its funny how everyone says nolan did very well creating this new batman trilogy but then critisize him for hte new title and says they dont like his decision of how the thrid one will play out and what villian to go with. nolan has brought batman from the great comics and giving a grown up name for all of us to enjoy and to tell the truth i dont care what he calls the new movie or what he decides to do because his vision has won me over. i love his ideas and what he has done with the batman francise. stop critizing and saying you know better. i dont see anyone of your names under the directors list!

it would be awesome if man-bat was in it but i guess that is a little bit to close to super science they can't bring the joker back and it be good i think heath leger was the best joker ever and there will never be a better one if they do penguin i hope it isn't cartoony what about poison ivy or killer croc black mask would make a great movie.

I Would Have Prefered To Have Had Batman's End Or Batman Rises Sort Of Makes Sense But This Looks Good If We Had A Another Batman Film With Nolan making 4 Films In All So It Would Look Something Like This So You Got Like The Dark Knight Series In The Middle !

First off, if you were going to bring back batman after the george cloony movies which was a good space of time, I know I wouldn’t have named it ”The Darkknight Begins” right? people wouldnt of cought on as fast. So now that they have, they can change it to ”The Darkkight” so that sort of explains the dark kight part of it . now as for the second part ”rises” I do agree that it dose not put you in a frame of mind that this is the end, like xmen ”last stand”

but starwars’ 6th and last in the saga is ” Return of the jedi” so to say The Dark kight Returns…thats ok, but it dose seem like you could find a thesaurus and look up return and find a more bolder word, hence The Dark Kight Rises? your guess is as good as mine.

I think Hugo Strange is a great pick for the villian I just hope and pray Chris Nolan keeps going with the Batman movies he has done a very excellent job making Batman movies.Mr.Nolan if you read this by any chance please keep pumping out the Batman movies I own them all and you are the right person for the Batman movies. Please stay with it heres to praying you don't walk away from the Batman franchise and if not please keep Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne he is the best Batman since Micheal Keaton.

Thank you for saying everything I'm too ignorant to comment on. I don't know the villians that haven't appeared in the movies (sorry, my brother read the comics…I read the Boxcar Children), so I'm not up to offering up an informed opinion. But I agree with you.

And:

I don't like the idea of the Riddler at all, anyway, following the Joker. I know they are separate characters, but he would seem a redundant villain to me, as much as Batman having a stable love interest is redundant. If Nolan intends the films to be a trilogy, he'll naturally have to skip over a lot of possible storylines to narrow down a tight, coherent plot arch over just three films.

Also, "Batman: The Caped Crusader" as a title makes me giggle. I hate giggling. I'm glad Nolan didn't go for cheese with the title, just as he didn't with the films.

No Jolie catwoman. Anarexia is not hot. Bring back my chocolate "Berry". Haley Berry was a great catwomanit was just not a good movie. And for Strange or Bane. I personaly would like to see Raz Algule return in the form of his daughter or maybe some MANBAT. Its off limits for a Nolan style movie, but I always thought MANBAT was prety cool. Plus, i'd like to see more Bat Wing and more "gadgetry?". Oh yeah, "Arkham City", WOW, it was fun.

Oh yeah and since it just found out Inception was a Nolan film…….. Im not big on credits. I urge people to watch it again and again, BECAUSE………. . It took me only one viewing to think oh, my, GOD, is it just me or does Joseph Gordon Levit bear an uncanny resembalance to Heath Ledger. I swear he looks like he could be his TWIN. Does anyone smell a JOKER reprise.

Mark my words the conclusion will be at best a mediocre intent to bring the feeling of the original source that make Nolan conceive the idea at first place to his conclusion: Knightfall
KNIGHTFALL
Instead He Has fall of my grace, cannot accept or conceive why the man put Tom Hardy as Bane.
When a man pursue some idea, it could end losing the objective. That should be the title of his next movie
Who said that superhero movies need to be realistic(if we can call his perception realistic) to attract the market, what you define to be realistic could be perceived by others as lack of knowledge or loss of purpose. Which unfortunately is the case.

Mark my words the conclusion will be at best a mediocre intent to bring the feeling of the original source that make Nolan conceive the idea at first place to his conclusion: Knightfall
KNIGHTFALL
Instead He Has fall of my grace, cannot accept or conceive why the man put Tom Hardy as Bane.
When a man pursue some idea, it could end losing the objective. That should be the title of his next movie
Who said that superhero movies need to be realistic(if we can call his perception realistic) to attract the market, what you define to be realistic could be perceived by others as lack of knowledge or loss of purpose. Which unfortunately is the case.

so they are going to make a batman 3 dark knight returns movie,cool,says,brandin lee detroy,from,mesquite, texas,but i wish that the movie do have some of my female fattales,like, female joker femme joker played by kelly anne, yes, do it,nolan,and with female riddler aka femme riddler aka lady riddler played by michelle peiffer, yes, do it, nolan,and with christian bale as the big bad batman villan ,yes,do it, and with crisin glover as the joker,yes, do it,

Thde Dark knight rise is very good. forget about scarface or riddle. let go with insane character like Killer Croc or clayface. they didn’t get spot in all batman movie series. since amazing spiderman did good job on lizard, let use that as good amount of that then add whole alot of evil and see how is form into it storyline of batman series